There has been a growing interest in the manufacture and use of microfluidic devices for the acquisition of chemical and biochemical information. Microfluidic devices typically contain fluid reservoirs connected to a network of microscale channels and chambers through which fluid can flow. Microfluidic devices enable reactions and the detection of reaction products to take place within a single device. Because microfluidic devices operate on small scales, they provide substantial advantages over standard laboratory techniques in terms of analytical throughput, reduced reagent consumption, data precision, process automation, and miniaturization. For example, carrying out complex biochemical reactions in microfluidic devices instead of standard laboratory equipment can reduce reagent usage while increasing reaction speed and throughput. Microfluidic devices are generally part of a fully integrated analysis system that also includes several other components. A fully integrated analysis system that employs one or more microfluidic devices, which can be referred to as a microfluidic system, usually includes at least a material transfer system, a power source, and a detection system. An example of a microfluidic system is any embodiment of the high throughput screening systems described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,046,056, which can be used to screen large numbers of compounds to find compounds having therapeutic properties.
Because of the small dimensions of microfluidic devices, it is often difficult to properly align the microfluidic device within a microfluidic system. Improper alignment can degrade the performance of the system. For example, improper alignment of a detection system over a microfluidic device may impair the ability of a microfluidic system to detect reaction products. Therefore, it becomes necessary to have systems that are capable of properly positioning components such as a detection system with respect to a targeted region of the microfluidic device such as a detection region. The present invention serves this and other needs by providing methods and systems for alignment of detection optics in use with a microfluidic device.
The small dimensions of microfluidic devices may also make it difficult to identify particular microfluidic devices. The inability to identify microfluidic devices may be problematic if an instrument that employs microfluidic devices is capable of using different microfluidic devices. Therefore, it is desirable to have systems that are capable of identifying a microfluidic device. The present invention serves this and other needs by providing methods and systems for identifying a microfluidic device.